My Favourites

No favorites saved.

SELLING HOUSES AUSTRALIA - S11 EP7 VICTORIA PARK WA

BLOG CATEGORIES

Ryan Stewart and Frances Azzopardi are a young couple from Perth who jumped into the property ownership dream early. Purchasing their 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom home in 2013, they had big plans for renovating the rundown heritage listed property. But $200,000 later, they had a stunning swimming pool and stylish street frontage, but no proper kitchen or bathroom. Ryan calls it the house of two halves – a show home at the front, and a homeless shelter at the back.

Frances and Ryan had trouble finding an agent willing to take on the challenge of selling the half-renovated property, so they attempted to sell the house privately. However three months later, no one had even come to view the property. Finally, a friend and former agent advised them they had to renovate the kitchen and bathroom in order to find a buyer, particularly in the falling Perth market. But their budget was depleted, even after Ryan sold his beloved boat.

Exterior

With Charlie's guidance, the back garden went from a hovel to an entertainer’s haven, complete with an outdoor kitchen and dining area! A new external laundry is stylishly hidden away, and the whole deck is covered by a remote-controlled folding arm awning to provide shade in the hot summer months or retract to allow light into the back of the house.

Check out the video above or How to add shade with style for how Charlie made an 180 degree transformation to the back yard with the awning!

BACKYARD, DECK & AWNING

BEFORE

AFTER

Charlie's decision to install the awning increased the value of the backyard by ten-folds, tying together the house with the deck and lawn, and creating an functional outdoor entertaining area. The Luxaflex Ventura Folding Arm Awning, designed for the modern Australian home and modern living, is ideal for fitting under an eave and was the perfect solution for this house. The awning was able to shelter the expansive deck area, extending the house and the usable space on the property.

The fitting combination of the new timber stain, dark grey exterior walls and grey-striped pattern awning brought an excellent visual aesthetic to the backyard, transforming the once shabby and bare surfaces to a highly desirable place-to-be. The deck lead to a new lawn surrounded by mature garden beds and feature pot plants, while the oddly placed pavers leading to the pool were removed and replaced with turf.

GARDEN & DECK

BEFORE

AFTER

AWNING

AFTER

AFTER

The Ventura Folding Arm Awning was motorised for an extra level of convenience, operable with a single click of a remote. Adding motorisation is an excellent option for hard to reach windows and for people who may have difficulty with manually operating an awning. Another benefit of automated awnings is the option for sun and wind sensor attachments. Your home can be shaded from the heat when the sun comes out, helping to save on home cooling costs, and also the awning can be protected from damage by automatically retracting in windy conditions.

Interior

The lounge and master bedroom both had fireplaces with overbearing floor-to-ceiling stone cladding. By reducing the heavy stone work and repainting the walls, Shaynna lightened and brightened the front rooms of the house.

LOUNGE

BEFORE

AFTER

MASTER BEDROOM

BEFORE

AFTER

Shaynna incorporated a modern industrial take on a heritage style bathroom by resurfacing the original clawfoot bathtub and replating the original shower fittings. A new tap and basin topped the DIY vanity built out of painted galvanised pipes and a black laminate bench.

BATHROOM

BEFORE

AFTER

The striking black and white theme was also carried into the kitchen. All new cabinetry, benchtops, splashback and appliances means that Frances and Ryan no longer have to cook on a camp stove. And to top it all off, a timber bi-fold window and French doors open out onto Charlie’s new deck.

KITCHEN

BEFORE

AFTER

The verdict

Thanks to everyone getting stuck in and working hard, the house of two halves has finally been made whole.

Following its renovation, Frances and Ryan received an offer of $810,000, but - due to the large sum of money they'd invested into the property - have decided to hold off for a higher offer.